Bruce eats New York: Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?)
4 Comments
Bruce Nguyen
November 24, 2009
This is the second post in a three-part travel series called Bruce eats New York, where Tiny Bites contributor Bruce Nguyen chronicles his ‘New York virgin’ dining experiences during the summer of 2009.
Growing up, my family was never very adventurous in our culinary tastes. For each new city we’d visit, while we would try to dine on the local cuisine, by the end of the trip we would invariably end up eating at a local Vietnamese restaurant. The quality would vary, but at least my parents would be darned sure of their opinion. No “that’s was an interesting dish” remarks for us!
Once I was old enough and mobile enough to have non-family travel plans, experiencing new flavour combinations and arrangements would be the new norm. But every now and then, especially on a hectic or stressful day, a restaurant sign with Vietnamese writing would draw me in like a sailor to a lighthouse.
So it’s understandable why, on hearing that I dined at two Vietnamese restaurants during my short stint in New York, people ask if I was homesick or under duress. Believe it or not, neither of these restaurants were my choice but the choice of my dining companions.
I just didn’t complain when they made their suggestions.
Republic
Republic has the byline of “Vietnamese Sandwich Shop” but carries a ranging menu including twists on the standard beef noodle soup (pho). We tried a dish with a seafood base, one with a duck base, and a spicy beef variety, the last being the only traditional Vietnamese noodle soup – Bun Bo Hue.
We also shared a standard Vietnamese submarine sandwich, complete with three types of cold cuts, pate, pickled veggies and cilantro. The pate was not very noticeable and I would have liked a touch more. The sandwich came with a papaya salad pre-seasoned with fish sauce. It was good if not jaw-dropping. What was jaw-dropping, however, was the price. $10 USD for the same quality and quantity of what you can get in Vancouver for $6 CDN – $3 or less if you only want the sandwich.
One thing I must comment on the menu is the inclusion of “Iced Thai Coffee”. With a restaurant byline of “Vietnamese Sandwich Shop” why the insistance on calling it an iced Thai coffee? I tasted coffee, condensed milk, and ice. To me, that’s an iced Vietnamese coffee.
In the end, while I can’t in good faith recommend their sandwiches because of the price, I can recommend their noodle soup. The duck was excellent and the spicy beef and seafood varieties were very good, all of which are beyond the typical fare you’ll find in any Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver.
Republic
37 Union Sq W | Gramercy/Flatiron, New York
(212) 627-7168
Viet Cafe
Wasn’t much a fan of the veggie spring rolls. They were good but were nonetheless rather standard fare. The pork spring rolls, however, were memorable. Using deep fried rice paper as the wrap gives it a paradoxically crunchy yet chewy outer layer.
The chicken pho was clean tasting without any hints of MSG or added oil. If you’re a fan of ‘dirty’ pho, this particular dish may not be for you. I was a fan.
Viet Cafe
345 Greenwich Street | Tribeca, New York
(212) 431-5888
Categories: Food, Restaurants, Travel, USA
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holy smokes, that price tag! Then again, it’s not surprising as I lived in NYC for a year and was really disappointed by the Vietnamese food there.
[...] Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?) [...]
[...] Bruce eats New York: Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?) (New York City, NY) [...]
[...] Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?) [...]